Method of blocking transmission of screen information of mobile communication terminal while performing remote control using registration of alert message in status bar

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a technique for allowing a user of the mobile communication terminal to block transmission of screen information to a remotely connected computer through a simple handling of an alert message outputted through a status bar, without having to input a command or activate a program associated with an icon during a remote control session. As a result, the user&#39;s personal information is protected while at the same time allowing the remote computer and the mobile communication terminal to communicate data effectively.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Korean Application No.10-2011-0092274, filed Sep. 10, 2011 and is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. application Ser. No. 13/358,069 filed Jan. 25, 2012. The entirecontent of the aforementioned patent applications is incorporated hereinby this reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method (and system) of blockingtransmission of screen information. More specifically, the presentinvention blocks transmission of screen information with via simply analert message outputted through a status bar, without the need ofhandling the mobile communication terminal such as inputting a command,using a menu in an activated window, or touching an icon.

2. Related Art

With the advancement in the mobile communication technologies,communication methods limited to voice communication or short messageservices (SMS) have evolved into Internet access accomplished through amobile communication networks based on a communication protocol such asWAP (Wireless Application Protocol) or the like. As high functionalitymobile communication terminals including input/output devices such as ahigh resolution touch screen and the like, as well as large-capacitycontrol operating units and memories, are now being distributed togetherwith rapid increases in data processing rate through the mobilecommunication network, Internet access based on TCP/IP (TransportControl Protocol/Internet Protocol) has begun being enabled through awireless LAN (Local Area Network).

Referring to FIG. 2, since the high functionality mobile communicationterminal, which is generally referred to as a smart phone, employs ahigh resolution touch screen and a control operating unit relatedthereto, the high functionality mobile communication terminal 10implements a graphic user interface (GUI) comparable to those of generaldesktop computers 41, as well as to a conventional keypad type terminalhandling environment. However, unlike previous environments in whichmobile communication services are limited to transmitting and receivingvoice communications and SMS texts, patterns of using the mobilecommunication terminal 10 has become more complex since they have begunto i.) connect to the Internet through a wireless network 20 including amobile communication network 21 and a wireless local area network (LAN)22, ii.) transmit and receive large-scaled data and applicationprograms, and iii.) execute various application programs using alarge-capacity control operating unit and memories. Accordingly, mosttypical users unfamiliar with the new communication environments havedifficulties using high functionality mobile communication terminals 10and suffer from malfunctions and data loss brought on by handlingmistakes and excessive communication fees.

Therefore, communication companies attracting users of the highfunctionality mobile communication terminals 10 as subscribers, mobilecommunication terminal 10 manufacturers, wireless network 20 provides,or the like guide users who are often inexperienced in using the highfunctionality mobile communication terminals 10 to connect to theInternet or transmit and receive data, and remotely control the mobilecommunication terminals 10 to deal with operation errors and failures ofthe mobile communication terminals 10 from a remote site. This processis conducted by remotely controlling the mobile communication terminals10 provided the user consents.

In these instances, the mobile communication terminals 10 are remotelycontrolled through a wireless network 20 such as a mobile communicationnetwork 21 or a wireless LAN 22. The remote control is generallyperformed at the very moment when a consulting representative of thecommunication companies, the mobile communication terminal 10manufacturers, or the information providers makes a voicecommunication/verification with a user of the mobile communicationterminal 10. This is based upon the premise that a remote controlprogram is installed in the corresponding mobile communication terminal10 and the control subject computer 41 in order to controlcommunications between a corresponding mobile communication terminal 10and a control subject computer, i.e., the computer 41 of the consultingrepresentative. This allows for control input and output of the mobilecommunication terminal 10 at a remote site. As shown in FIG. 1, once theremote control program is executed, the screen of the mobilecommunication terminal 10 is displayed on the screen of the controlsubject computer 41.

If the remote control programs of the mobile communication terminal 10and the control subject computer 41 at a remote site are executed and acommunication session is established between the mobile communicationterminal 10 and the computer 41, a screen correlating to the screen ofthe mobile communication terminal 10 is displayed on the control subjectcomputer 41 as shown in FIG. 1, and commands inputted by the consultingrepresentative, i.e., a user of the control subject computer 41, aretransmitted to the remote control program of the mobile communicationterminal 10 through the communication session and inputted into themobile communication terminal 10 by the remote control program.Therefore, the representative can directly control and view the controltarget mobile communication terminal 10 to more effectively fix errorsor failures in the mobile communication terminal.

As described above, a representative remotely controls the mobilecommunication terminal 10 of a user unfamiliar with the communicationenvironment based on the high functionality mobile communicationterminal 10, and thus, providing the user with a convenient way to fixissues that arise on their terminal. However, there are serious issuesrelated to privacy of personal information on mobile communicationterminal 10 since the screen of the mobile communication terminal 10 isdisplayed on the screen of the control subject computer 41, thus, anyinformation that is on the screen when the representative connects canbe seen by the representative.

Often times, errors occur while the user is trying to connect or log onto often information sensitive websites For example, log-in informationor authentication information needed to connect to a specific site onthe Internet may be required in the course performing these remotecontrol sessions, such as online banking websites, credit card accountwebsites, etc. In particular, a variety of services using the highfunctionality mobile communication terminals 10 are provided even in thefinance, administration and health sectors where serious personalinformation exposure is a concern. Therefore, there is a serious concernthat personal information could be leaked if a remote access session ispermitted on a particular mobile communication terminal.

In the remote control environment between the mobile communicationterminal 10 and the computer 41, personal information such as a passwordmay need to be inputted by the user to allow the representative toaccess certain functionalities of the mobile communication terminal 10.In this case, the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 directlyinputs personal information (e.g., a password), and the input type ofthe personal information input window on the screen of the mobilecommunication terminal 10 is set to a password type so that substituteletters such as asterisks or the like may be displayed as shown inFIG. 1. Thus, the representative cannot directly see the inputtedpersonal information.

If the input type is set to, e.g., a password type and thus substituteletters are outputted, it is effective to hide input values which areinputted through a keyboard or a key pad. However, in the case of mobilecommunication terminals 10 since the keyboard or keypad is displayed onthe screen the input itself is displayed to the representative or remoteuser. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, asterisks are displayed instead ofreal input values in the password input window of the screen. However,when a virtual keyboard implemented at the lower portion of the touchscreen is used to input the password, the color, brightness, or shape ofa touched key is temporarily changed when a user presses a particularkey thus indicating which keys have been pressed by the user at themobile communication terminal 10. Thus, allowing the remoteuser/representative to see sequence of keys that were selected by themobile communication terminal user.

One solution to this problem is to block transmission of screeninformation on the mobile communication terminal 10 by inputting aspecific command by the user, or by installing a separate applicationwhich performs the same function as inputting a specific command in themobile communication terminal 10, implementing an icon for performingthe application in the activated window 12 of the screen, and touchingthe icon by the user. However, in the method described above, the userhimself or herself performs complex handling procedures to blocktransmission of screen information, and thus departs from the mainobject of the remote control service provided to the users unfamiliarwith using a mobile communication terminal 10. Furthermore, thissolution may cause mishandlings and errors such as software conflicts oncertain mobile communication terminals.

In addition, in a typical environment in which the mobile communicationterminal 10 is handled, the entire application being executed is notdisplayed on the screen, but only one application handled by the user isdisplayed on the screen. Therefore, in a method of separately installingan application for blocking transmission of screen information, theremote control program performing a remote control disappears from thescreen as soon as the application is executed, and thus the user shouldhandle the mobile communication terminal 10 to display the remotecontrol program again on the screen after the application is executed.

Particularly, the object of a remote control service provided throughcomputer 41 communications is not only for a simple one-time controlproxy service, but also is for providing a learning service so that auser who is unfamiliar with using an information device may correctlyperform the same handling procedures in the future. Therefore, it ispreferable to provide all the same procedures and screen output formsused in the remote control when the user independently performs similarcontrols in the future, and thus inducing a general user to handle theseparate application for blocking transmission of screen information maycause confusion.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the aboveproblems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide asystem and method of blocking transmission of screen information withminimal control procedures while performing remote control between acomputer and a mobile communication terminal, so that a user of themobile communication terminal does not need to input a command, or anicon does not need to be separately implemented in an activated windowon the screen of the mobile communication terminal.

That is, the present invention provides a system and method of blockingtransmission of a screen of a mobile communication terminal whileperforming remote control of the mobile communication terminal, in whicha computer connected to an Internet and a wireless network remotelycontrols the mobile communication terminal, i.e., a mobile station of amobile communication network, employing a touch screen as aninput/output means. More specifically, the method includes executing aremote control program installed in the mobile communication terminal;registering an alert message inquiring whether or not to blocktransmission of screen information, by the remote control program, in astatus bar implemented on a touch screen by the operating system of themobile communication terminal; stopping transmission of screeninformation to the computer, by the remote control program, once a firsttouch of the alert message in the status bar is sensed; and resumingtransmission of screen information to the computer, by the remotecontrol program, once a second touch of the alert message in the statusbar is sensed again.

According to the present invention, transmission of screen informationis blocked via simple controls while performing remote control betweenthe computer and the mobile communication terminal, and thus it ispossible to effectively prevent leakage of personal information that mayoccur while the mobile communication terminal is remotely controlled.

Particularly, since input of a command for blocking transmission ofscreen information and implementation of a separate icon in an activatedwindow on the screen of the mobile communication terminal are omitted,user mishaps or errors such as software conflicts may be fundamentallyprevented, and the learning effect of the user in handling the mobilecommunication terminal may be enhanced through remote control.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the present invention will now bedescribed in detail with reference to certain exemplary embodimentsthereof illustrated the accompanying drawings which are givenhereinbelow by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative ofthe present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view showing a remote control method for a mobilecommunication terminal according to a conventional technique.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a connection state between a computer and amobile communication terminal while a remote control is performed.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a state of screen transmission while a mobilecommunication terminal is remotely controlled through an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary view showing a method of handling a mobilecommunication terminal to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 6 is a view showing states of a screen in the process of blockingand resuming transmission of screen information while a mobilecommunication terminal is remotely controlled, through an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a screen of a mobile communication terminalapplying an inquiry type alert message, through an exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The detailed configuration and process of the invention will behereafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or”includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associatedlisted items.

First, FIG. 2 is a view showing the connection relation among theconstitutional components performing the exemplary embodiment. Referringto FIG. 2, the present invention is performed using a mobilecommunication terminal 10, i.e., a mobile station of a mobilecommunication network 21, a wireless network 20 such as the mobilecommunication network 21 or a wireless LAN 22, and a computer 41connected to the Internet. Here, the wireless network 20 generallyrefers to the mobile communication network 21 based on TDMA (TimeDivision Multiple Access) or CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) or thewireless LAN 22 based on Wi-Fi (Wireless-Fidelity) or WiBro (WirelessBroadband) which performs communications based on TCP/IP (TransportControl Protocol/Internet Protocol).

The wireless LAN 22 and the mobile communication network 21 constructingthe wireless network 20 of the present invention are respectivelyconnected to the Internet through a gateway server 31 and acommunication company's server 32, which can be referred to as a kind ofgateway server 31. In addition, the computer 41 which remotely controlsthe mobile communication terminal 10 in the present invention is alsoconnected to the Internet.

In performing remote control through the present invention, a remotecontrol program is installed on the computer 41 and the mobilecommunication terminal 10. The remote control program performscommunication between the mobile communication terminal 10, which is acontrol object, and the computer 41, which is a control subject. Thisremote control program controls the mobile communication terminal 10according to a control command of the computer 41, and transmits screeninformation of the mobile communication terminal 10 to the computer 41.

Furthermore, although the remote control programs respectively installedon the control target mobile communication terminal 10 and the controlsubject computer 41 communicate to provide remote control services, theremote control programs installed on each do not need to be the sameprogram since their operating environments and specific works aredifferent from each other.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the process of performing the present inventionthrough the constitutional components shown in FIG. 2, and specificsteps of performing the exemplary embodiment are described below. First,the exemplary embodiment starts by executing the remote control programof the mobile communication terminal 10. The remote control program isan application program mounted on the mobile communication terminal 10,which transmits screen information of the mobile communication terminal10, i.e., a control target, to the control subject computer 41 at aremote site through the wireless network 20 and the Internet and inputsa command transmitted from the control subject computer 41 into theoperating system of the mobile communication terminal 10.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the remote control program registers an alertmessage inquiring whether or not to block transmission of screeninformation in the status bar 11 implemented on a touch screen by theoperating system of the mobile communication terminal 10. Here, thestatus bar 11 is an area different from an activated window 12, waitingfor input of a command event such as a touch or swipe. Although there isa small difference depending on the type of the operating system of themobile communication terminal 10, the status bar 11 is generallyconfigured in an upper portion of the touch screen. The status bar 11only displays reception sensitivity of the wireless network 20,remaining battery capacity, and time, and it does not wait for a commandevent related to the various application programs displayed in theactivated window 12. That is, the status bar 11 is an area logically andcompletely isolated from the activated window 12, and thus associatedwith software conflicts or mishandling are extremely unlikely to beinduced by handling the status bar 11.

Although a specific process of registering an alert message inquiringwhether or not to block transmission of screen information in the statusbar 11 may be slightly different depending on the operating system ofthe mobile communication terminal 10, the registration is accomplishedthrough input and output between a program module in the operatingsystem which manages the status bar 11 and the remote control program.When the remote control program is executed, the remote control programinputs the alert message into the status bar 11 program module of theoperating system, and the status bar 11 program module of the operatingsystem implements the inputted alert message in the status bar 11. Oncehandling of the alert message by the user, e.g., a first touch of thealert message implemented in the status bar 11, is sensed, the statusbar 11 program module of the operating system inputs data indicatingthat a touch has been sensed into the remote control program.

Although the alert message implemented in the status bar 11 may beimplemented to be displayed in the status bar 11 at all times, since adisplay area of the status bar 11 is relatively narrow and may alwaysdisplay information such as the remaining battery capacity, time and thelike, the status bar 11 can be implemented to be expanded and expose thealert message as shown in FIG. 4 once the user touches the status bar 11while the mobile communication terminal 10 is remotely controlled.

After the alert message is registered in the status bar 11, the remotecontrol program normally performs a certain remote control process. Oncea touch of the alert message of the status bar 11 is sensed whileperforming the remote control, the remote control program stopstransmission of screen information to the computer 41.

At this point, stopping transmission of screen information does not meanthat the data transmitted and received between the mobile communicationterminal 10 and the computer 41 through a communication session areentirely blocked, but rather means that transmission of screen outputimages is blocked. Accordingly, a user of the control subject computer41 such as a consulting representative does not visually see the screenof the control target mobile communication terminal 10, while at thesame time the transmission and reception of the data may be communicatednormally between the mobile communication terminal 10 and the computer41.

While the transmission of screen information is stopped, the screen ofthe control subject computer 41 is blind processed to display asubstitute image as shown in FIG. 4 or continues to output a screendisplayed just before the transmission of screen information is stopped,and thus the user of the control subject computer 41 such as aconsulting representative cannot see the screen of the mobilecommunication terminal 10 during this time period. As described above,while transmission of screen information is blocked through the firsttouch of the alert message implemented in the status bar 11, the usermay safely input personal information such as log-in information or thelike.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary view showing a method of handling a mobilecommunication terminal 10 to which the present invention is applied. Theentire steps of blocking and resuming transmission of screen informationare sequentially arranged, and the steps are performed while a user ofthe mobile communication terminal 10 accepts remote control and themobile communication terminal 10 is remotely controlled.

In FIG. 5, if the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 acceptsremote control of the remote control subject computer 41 by touching anicon in the activated window 12 connected to the remote control program,an alert message inquiring whether or not to block transmission ofscreen information is registered in the status bar 11. Once the usertouches and expands the status bar 11, the alert message is displayed inthe expanded status bar 11, and transmission of screen information ofthe mobile communication terminal 10 is blocked as the alert message istouched.

As shown in FIG. 5, for example, brightness of the activated window 12screen of the mobile communication terminal 10 may be adjusted whiletransmission of screen information is blocked so that the user mayrecognize blocking of transmission of screen information, andtransmission of screen information is resumed in the same manner asblocking transmission of screen information, and thus convenience of theuser may be maximized.

Meanwhile, FIG. 6 is a view showing a state of inputting personalinformation while a mobile communication terminal is remotelycontrolled, through an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Asshown in the figure, once the alert message of the status bar 11 isfirst touched immediately before the personal information is inputted, auser of the control subject computer 41 may not see the input screen.

In addition, after input of the personal information is completed, thestate of blocking transmission of screen information needs to bereleased so that the user of the control subject computer 41 may see thescreen of the mobile communication terminal 10 once again, and it ispreferable to perform the release process through a second sequentialtouch of the alert message of the status bar 11, rather than bygenerating a separate event from the activated window 12. That is, oncea second touch of the alert message of the status bar 11 is sensedagain, the remote control program resumes transmission of screeninformation to the computer 41, and thus blocking and resumingtransmission of screen information can be accomplished through justsimple a simple touch of the screen.

In addition, the alert message inquiring whether or not to blocktransmission of screen information implemented through the status bar 11is configured in an interactive form as shown in FIG. 7, and thusunnecessary blocking of transmission of screen information ormishandling of the mobile communication terminal 10 can be prevented.

Furthermore, the control logic of the present invention may be embodiedas non-transitory computer readable media on a computer readable mediumcontaining executable program instructions executed by a processor,controller or the like. Examples of the computer readable mediumsinclude, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, compact disc (CD)-ROMs,magnetic tapes, floppy disks, flash drives, smart cards and optical datastorage devices. The computer readable recording medium can also bedistributed in network coupled computer systems so that the computerreadable media is stored and executed in a distributed fashion, e.g., bya telematics server or a Controller Area Network (CAN).

As described above, while performing remote control, transmission ofscreen information is effectively controlled by simply touching thestatus bar 11 which is logically and completely isolated from theactivated window 12, and thus it is possible to effectively preventleakage of personal information that may occur while the mobilecommunication terminal 10 is remotely controlled.

While the present invention has been described with reference to theparticular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by theembodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciatedthat those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodimentswithout departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of blocking transmission of screeninformation of a mobile communication terminal while performing remotecontrol of the mobile communication terminal, in which a computerremotely controls the mobile communication terminal, the methodcomprising: executing a remote control program installed in the mobilecommunication terminal to activate the remote control of the mobilecommunication terminal; registering, by the remote control program, analert message inquiring whether or not to block transmission of screeninformation of the mobile communication terminal in a status barimplemented on a touch screen of the mobile communication terminal; andtemporarily stopping, by the remote control program, transmission of thescreen information of the mobile communication terminal to the computerwhile the remote control of the mobile communication terminal is stillactive, once a first touch of the alert message at the mobilecommunication terminal is sensed.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: resuming, by the remote control program, transmission of thescreen information of the mobile communication terminal to the computer,once a second sequential touch of the alert message at the mobilecommunication terminal is sensed.
 3. A non-transitory computer readablemedium containing program instructions executable by a processor in amobile communication terminal for blocking transmission of screeninformation of the mobile communication terminal while performing remotecontrol of the mobile communication terminal, in which a computerremotely controls the mobile communication terminal, the non-transitorycomputer readable medium comprising: program instructions that registeran alert message inquiring whether or not to block transmission ofscreen information of the mobile communication terminal in a status barimplemented on a touch screen of the mobile communication terminal; andprogram instructions that temporarily stop transmission of the screeninformation of the mobile communication terminal to the computer whilethe remote control of the mobile communication terminal is still active,once a first touch of the alert message at the mobile communicationterminal is sensed.
 4. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 3, further comprising: program instructions that resumetransmission of the screen information of the mobile communicationterminal to the computer, once a second sequential touch of the alertmessage at the mobile communication terminal is sensed.
 5. A system forblocking transmission of screen information of a mobile communicationterminal while performing remote control of the mobile communicationterminal, in which a computer remotely controls the mobile communicationterminal, the system comprising: the computer which is connected to anetwork; and the mobile communication terminal which is connected to thenetwork and configured to execute a remote control program installedthereon to activate the remote control of the mobile communicationterminal, register an alert message inquiring whether or not to blocktransmission of screen information of the mobile communication terminalin a status bar implemented on a touch screen of the mobilecommunication terminal, and temporarily stop transmission of the screeninformation of the mobile communication terminal to the computer whilethe remote control of the mobile communication terminal is still active,once a first touch of the alert message at the mobile communicationterminal is sensed.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein mobilecommunication terminal is further configured to resume transmission ofthe screen information of the mobile communication terminal to thecomputer, once a second sequential touch of the alert message at themobile communication terminal is sensed.